Cortical auditory potential of children with Congenital Syndrome of Zika Virus

Introduction: The Zika virus became an epidemic in Brazil from the beginning of 2015, with the first cases of microcephaly with suspected cause by Zika Virus confirmed in the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco. Since then, research has shown the need for further research into the physiology of individuals affected by the disease, symptoms and prognosis in order to improve the treatment of children with the so-called congenital zygote virus syndrome. Thus, in order to study and minimize the impacts that a possible alteration in the auditory cortex may have on the communicative development of these children, this study has as main objective to describe the cortical auditory potential values of children who were probably infected by the congenital syndrome of Zika virus. Methods: This is a multicenter, cross-sectional descriptive study, which was developed in the Audiology Sector of the Center for Education and Health Studies (CEES), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), and at the State University of Health Sciences of Alagoas - UNCISAL, Audiology Laboratory of the Specialized Center for Rehabilitation (CER III), with approval in the ethics committee CAAE nº 68684117.8.1001.5406. The study consisted of 30 children of both genders, from six to 38 months of age, making up the study group, with microcephaly and probable congenital syndrome of the virus zika and control group, in which cortical auditory evoked potential tests were performed in children with development. Results: There was a trend towards higher values in terms of latency and amplitude of auditory cortical potential, reflecting the development of the auditory and communicative system of children with probable microcephaly due to zika virus. Conclusion: The complex of components P1-N1-P2-N2-P3 was present in both groups, with and without zika virus, which is compatible with decoding ability of the sound stimuli at a cortical level. However, it is not possible to state that both groups have the same pattern of sound decoding and auditory-linguistic association. (AU)